David Simon joined Simon Property precursor Melvin Simon Associates in 1990 as Chief Financial Officer. In 1993, he led the efforts to take Simon Property Group public with a nearly $1 billion initial public offering that, at the time, was the largest real estate stock offering. He became CEO in 1995 and Chairman in 2007.

Simon Property Group, Inc. is an Americancommercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The Mills, community/lifestyle centers and international properties. It currently owns or has an interest in more than 325[2] properties comprising approximately 241,000,000 square feet (22,400,000 m2) of gross leasable area in North America and Asia. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employs more than 5,000 people worldwide. It is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol SPG and is part of the SP 100.[3]

Simon Property Group has been the subject of several lawsuits and investigations regarding civil rights and discrimination.[4][5][6][7]